Smashed Potatoes and Cream Cheese

Smashed Potatoes and Cream Cheese

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes or baby Yukon gold potatoes
* 1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
* 8 ounces plain cream cheese or veggie cream cheese, cut into pieces
* 10 chives or 2 scallions, chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors
* Salt and pepper

Directions

Boil potatoes until tender, 15 minutes. While the water boils and when the potatoes are cooking, you can be working on the meatloaf recipe.

When the potatoes are tender, drain them and return them to the hot pot to let them dry out a bit. Mash potatoes with half-and-half or milk using a potato masher. Add in the cream cheese and smash until the cheese melts into the potatoes. Then add chives and scallions and season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 3 egg yolks
* 1/4 cup key lime juice
* 1 (9-inch) graham cracker piecrust
* Whipped cream, to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a mixer on low-medium speed, blend the milk and egg yolks at low speed until smooth. Add the key lime juice and finish blending.

Gently pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for another 15 minutes before refrigerating.

Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Serve cold and top with fresh whipped cream.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
3. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

chocolate chip cookie without a mixer!

chocolate chip cookie without a mixer!

ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips if desired, 1 cup chopped pecans (I didn't use pecans)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix sugar, brown sugar, butter and egg in a large bowl by hand. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. The dough will be very stiff. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until light brown. The center will be soft . Let cool for 1 minute. Then remove from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Spinach Garlic Pasta

I made it today for dinner ;)

Spinach Garlic Pasta


Ingredients

* 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
* 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and the cooked pasta. Mix well, and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring often. Serve.

White Bean Salad

Mustard Vinaigrette

* 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 cup olive oil

White Bean Salad

* 1/2 red onion
* 1-1/2 cups cooked white beans (or chickpeas)*
* 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
* 1/2 pound salami, preferably Genoa, diced
* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

* Equivalent to one 15-ounce can, drained, although freshly cooked beans are preferable. You may also wish to try Kate's Classic White Beans recipe.

1. To make the mustard vinaigrette: Put the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is emulsified (or blend all ingredients in the work bowl of a hand blender or mini-chopper). Set aside.

2. To make the salad: Slice the red onion into thin rings, then cut the rings in half. Set aside half of the rings, then chop the remaining rings into small pieces. Put the chopped onion and the white beans, green pepper, salami, parsley, and oregano in a serving bowl. Pour in the mustard vinaigrette and toss to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes before serving. Serve sprinkled with the grated Parmesan and garnish with the reserved red onion slices.

Roasted Asparagus Bundles/Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

I made it today:

1- Roasted Asparagus Bundles:

Ingredients

* 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed and discarded
* 4 scallions, root end trimmed
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place asparagus and scallions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. Wrap individual portions of asparagus with scallion to tie into bundles.

2-Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Ingredients

* 1 scallion, minced
* 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
* 1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (see Tip) and cut into 4 portions
* 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (see Tip)

Directions

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

How to skin a salmon fillet: Place salmon fillet on a clean cutting board, skin-side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

To toast seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.